iPad Pre-Purchase Questions

[ssbearsfan]

Apple.com. They have financing available.

Personally, I would stay away from financing available from apple. The interest rate is high and all it offers is no interest for X many months. Other credit cards such as Chase and Citibank offer $150 cash back after spending $500 and also offer 6 - 12 months no interest along with a lower interest rate depending on your credit score. They also offer cash back, airline milage, and other rewards. As with any credit card, it is only worth it however if you are paying your balance off each month. It never made sense to me to open a credit card that doesn't reward you for responsible spending and making on time and full payments. For example, you could purchase an ipad 2 for $500, collect the $150 cash back, and only end up paying $350 for it in the end.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[palpatine]

1. There is a difference between college now and in 1970's when you went to college.

2. Sure he can go to a computer lab but he wants to choose between an iPad and a laptop and laptop will probably be the better choice.

3. For notes in class, pen/pencil and paper slays all unless it is a class with Powerpoints with endless notes --> Then you can use a laptop to type it all out.

1. LOL. Not that old. I had computers as a kid, and I tinkered around on them. But, until about 2000, a lot of us went without computers. What was the point? In total over my college career I only wrote a few hundred pages of drivel (that hasn't changed you know). The Internet was still slow, many businesses didn't even own computers, laptops were hilariously underpowered with massive batteries that barely eked out a few hours. A few kids in the dorms had desktops, but really, it was a rich man's / rich kid's / technical market. Things have changed remarkably in the last decade, and I think all of us will look back on it and realize how impossible it is to even conceive of a day without stuff like cellular phones. As a historian, I find the thought experiment to be a lot of fun.

2. As I said, the iPad can do so much (creation and consumption) that you can get really far with it, and you don't necessarily need a computer for "work." For play, you might want one

3. Yep. I don't think it is uncommon for people to learn better and more efficiently with pen and paper. Everyone has their own way of learning, and I am sure people can bang away with the stylus on the ipad and somehow churn out notes, or tap annoyingly on the keyboard throughout a class and learn better. But, for me, nothing beats pen and paper for learning.

 

[cshearer]

If you need to finance a relatively small purchase, then you can not afford it. It's a want not a need. You do not deserve an iPad until you save enough money to pay it in full.

That's a pretty quick judgement for someone who knows very little about my rationale or financial reasoning for doing this. I'm using this purchase on my credit union issued Visa to build credit. I could very well afford it, however I chose this as it would benefit me in more ways than one. So please, take your idiocy elsewhere, as I do not much appreciate being told as a human what I do or do not deserve. By the way, $620 is quite a purchase for a college student.

And to those who actually contributed something with some intellect to the thread, I purchased it today, and I could not be more pleased. I was surprised I wouldn't have to pay for my iWork apps over again. Typing gets easier and easier, as I thought it would and was mentioned in this thread. Thanks for all the answers, it definitely helped with this decision.

 

[dccorona]

I'm interested

here's a link to the notes I took in one class with my iPad...I barely ever have to backspace, and my teacher put some fairly long, uncommon words on his slides. The iPad predictive text nails them, making note taking especially easy in situations where you are copying from a slideshow and the words aren't short

http://www.evernote.com/shard/s30/s...623b9ba58997/08afe3203d0fb9f9e85055656d02074c

Since you're apparently attending my alma mater I won't assume you don't know what you're talking about. I'll just be very surprised and (only) a little skeptical.

At a very advanced age (60+) I've been struggling for several months to gain the skills necessary to equal my pen and paper note taking ability on my iPad. I've found the capabilities of Notes Plus and Note Taker HD to be impressive but I haven't yet found I can be as efficient with either as I can be with a legal pad and a pen. As noted, it might have more to do with having used the old fashioned method for note taking for well over half a century.

The younger generation is either less skilled at traditional methods or more flexible. I hate to admit that I think it's the latter.

P.S. Like Palpatine, I didn't have a computer in college. The one I used occupied a space about the size of a football field in the basement of one of the buildings on campus. A huge advance was the Michigan Terminal System (MTS) that enabled students to type program code and limited text into specially built IBM Selectrics linked to the central computer system. It was delightful not to have to deal with punch cards.

Oh you're a Michigan man too? Go blue!

I had the advantage of almost 4 years with an iPhone (right in my prime teenage years of texting like crazy) to help me prepare for typing on the iPad...I think once you learn to trust it, it gets pretty easy. Also, having the Apple case or smart cover (iPad 1 and 2, respectively) or something similar is a must for typing...that slight angle makes a world of difference. It also helps to really know the keyboard...where symbols are located, what keys you can long press for more options, etc.

That's a pretty quick judgement for someone who knows very little about my rationale or financial reasoning for doing this. I'm using this purchase on my credit union issued Visa to build credit. I could very well afford it, however I chose this as it would benefit me in more ways than one. So please, take your idiocy elsewhere, as I do not much appreciate being told as a human what I do or do not deserve. By the way, $620 is quite a purchase for a college student.

And to those who actually contributed something with some intellect to the thread, I purchased it today, and I could not be more pleased. I was surprised I wouldn't have to pay for my iWork apps over again. Typing gets easier and easier, as I thought it would and was mentioned in this thread. Thanks for all the answers, it definitely helped with this decision.

Don't worry, MacRumors is full of people like that...

but congrats on your iPad, and I'm glad you're enjoying it! Sounds like you went for a 3G model? Is there not much wifi coverage on your campus? I get by with the wifi model personally, but that's just me. And also, what do you mean you didn't have to pay for iWork over again...if you bought them from the mac app store, can you put them on iPad or something? Or had you had them on your iPhone? Because I'm interested in them, but I haven't found enough of a reason to shell out for them on my iPad yet

 

[palpatine]

here's a link to the notes I took in one class with my iPad...
http://www.evernote.com/shard/s30/s...623b9ba58997/08afe3203d0fb9f9e85055656d02074c

Thanks for sharing them. That looks nice. It seems you have found a good system. One word of advice, though. I wouldn't trust Evernote too much at the moment. Save frequently. I lost a large chunk of data that apparently did not get saved when I finished modifying a note and closed it (the iPad has a "save" button, so perhaps it is a little more trustworthy). I am talking with customer support right now, but they are as slow as molasses (I am a premium member and ought to be at the front of the line with quick support!). It was a huge setback for me (bad timing really), and right now I am trying out other programs.

(*typo in one of your headings*)

 

[dccorona]

Thanks for sharing them. That looks nice. It seems you have found a good system. One word of advice, though. I wouldn't trust Evernote too much at the moment. Save frequently. I lost a large chunk of data that apparently did not get saved when I finished modifying a note and closed it (the iPad has a "save" button, so perhaps it is a little more trustworthy). I am talking with customer support right now, but they are as slow as molasses (I am a premium member and ought to be at the front of the line with quick support!). It was a huge setback for me (bad timing really), and right now I am trying out other programs.

(*typo in one of your headings*)

haha, well nothing can be perfect when you're taking notes that fast

I tend to be in the habit of hitting save after every slide, so that nothing gets lost. I know its *supposed* to save automatically whenever you close it out, but I play it safe. Its also helpful on the iPad that whenever you exit it, its still saved in memory until you force it to close or don't use it for a long time, so everything is saved that way. In case the first save gets messed up, opening it again should trigger a new save and you'll have everything.

I use evernote because it integrates with a website called studyblue...great tool for students if your college is supported

 

[cshearer]

here's a link to the notes I took in one class with my iPad...I barely ever have to backspace, and my teacher put some fairly long, uncommon words on his slides. The iPad predictive text nails them, making note taking especially easy in situations where you are copying from a slideshow and the words aren't short

http://www.evernote.com/shard/s30/s...623b9ba58997/08afe3203d0fb9f9e85055656d02074c



Oh you're a Michigan man too? Go blue!

I had the advantage of almost 4 years with an iPhone (right in my prime teenage years of texting like crazy) to help me prepare for typing on the iPad...I think once you learn to trust it, it gets pretty easy. Also, having the Apple case or smart cover (iPad 1 and 2, respectively) or something similar is a must for typing...that slight angle makes a world of difference. It also helps to really know the keyboard...where symbols are located, what keys you can long press for more options, etc.



Don't worry, MacRumors is full of people like that...

but congrats on your iPad, and I'm glad you're enjoying it! Sounds like you went for a 3G model? Is there not much wifi coverage on your campus? I get by with the wifi model personally, but that's just me. And also, what do you mean you didn't have to pay for iWork over again...if you bought them from the mac app store, can you put them on iPad or something? Or had you had them on your iPhone? Because I'm interested in them, but I haven't found enough of a reason to shell out for them on my iPad yet

Haters gonna hate haha. But anywho, I did get the 3G model after finding out that I didn't have to purchase it to use the iPad. I figured down the road, if I found I needed it, I would like to have that ability and not have to struggle to sell it off to upgrade to one that has the capability. I've found with apple products, I lose money when I try to do that .

As for iWork, I did buy that on my iPhone, so I'm not sure how it would work if you had purchased it for your Mac. I wager that the only way you might not have to pay for it again is if you purchased it on the Mac app store. I personally got it when I bought my Mac in '09, so I still have a disc. So far, I'm really enjoying iWork on my iPad. I like it a bit better than the iPhone version because of being able to type in landscape, whereas on the iPhone you can only use portrait ( as far as my knowledge goes). I only have Numbers and Pages, and both were phenomenal on my iPhone, but the most I've ever used them so far is in demoing the iPad in stores. I do hope to get keynote, but I want to first know from someone who has it for iPad if it's worth the money, or if I should just stick to making presentations on my Mac.

 

[jsh1120]

here's a link to the notes I took in one class with my iPad...I barely ever have to backspace, and my teacher put some fairly long, uncommon words on his slides. The iPad predictive text nails them, making note taking especially easy in situations where you are copying from a slideshow and the words aren't short

http://www.evernote.com/shard/s30/s...623b9ba58997/08afe3203d0fb9f9e85055656d02074c



Oh you're a Michigan man too? Go blue!

I had the advantage of almost 4 years with an iPhone (right in my prime teenage years of texting like crazy) to help me prepare for typing on the iPad...I think once you learn to trust it, it gets pretty easy. Also, having the Apple case or smart cover (iPad 1 and 2, respectively) or something similar is a must for typing...that slight angle makes a world of difference. It also helps to really know the keyboard...where symbols are located, what keys you can long press for more options, etc....

Seems there was a breakdown of communication on this thread. I see by your notes you're talking about using the iPad for typed notes while I was referring to the difficulties of taking handwritten notes efficiently. I agree completely that the iPad can offer a very satisfactory typing experience.

But being the curmudgeon I've become, I much prefer a physical keyboard to the onscreen virtual keyboard. In my case, the Apple Wireless Keyboard or the Microsoft 6000 Bluetooth portable keyboard for the iPad. Having learned to type on a manual Remington Rand portable when I was 12 and moving on to an IBM Selectric a few years later, I'm wedded to a physical keyboard for life.

For folks like you with non-arthritic thumbs and teenage training on phone keyboards, the virtual keyboard on the iPad is much more accessible, I'm sure. The split keyboard that will be available in iOS 5 will improve that experience even more, I suspect.

My desire to become more proficient with handwriting note taking apps on the iPad stems from the fact that I often have to draw diagrams of various kinds (e.g. flow diagrams, org charts, gantt charts, etc) in meetings. Tasks that I suspect you don't confront in film studies. (You lucky kid. Stick with what you enjoy, btw.) For that purpose it would be extremely useful to combine handwritten and typed text in a single document. I can type much faster than I can write but right now I have to keep a note pad available for "free hand" entry.

All in all, I think my needs more closely approximate those of a college student in the hard sciences or engineering.

Haven't given up on the goal of becoming proficient with handwriting on the iPad. I've just found that the initial novelty of being able to "write on a screen" soon gives way to the realization that doing it efficiently is a tough skill to develop.

----------

...
(*typo in one of your headings*)

You are SUCH an academic.

 

[cshearer]

Seems there was a breakdown of communication on this thread. I see by your notes you're talking about using the iPad for typed notes while I was referring to the difficulties of taking handwritten notes efficiently. I agree completely that the iPad can offer a very satisfactory typing experience.

But being the curmudgeon I've become, I much prefer a physical keyboard to the onscreen virtual keyboard. In my case, the Apple Wireless Keyboard or the Microsoft 6000 Bluetooth portable keyboard for the iPad. Having learned to type on a manual Remington Rand portable when I was 12 and moving on to an IBM Selectric a few years later, I'm wedded to a physical keyboard for life.

For folks like you with non-arthritic thumbs and teenage training on phone keyboards, the virtual keyboard on the iPad is much more accessible, I'm sure. The split keyboard that will be available in iOS 5 will improve that experience even more, I suspect.

My desire to become more proficient with handwriting note taking apps on the iPad stems from the fact that I often have to draw diagrams of various kinds (e.g. flow diagrams, org charts, gantt charts, etc) in meetings. Tasks that I suspect you don't confront in film studies. (You lucky kid. Stick with what you enjoy, btw.) For that purpose it would be extremely useful to combine handwritten and typed text in a single document. I can type much faster than I can write but right now I have to keep a note pad available for "free hand" entry.

All in all, I think my needs more closely approximate those of a college student in the hard sciences or engineering.

Haven't given up on the goal of becoming proficient with handwriting on the iPad. I've just found that the initial novelty of being able to "write on a screen" soon gives way to the realization that doing it efficiently is a tough skill to develop.

----------



You are SUCH an academic.

I agree with you wholly. Us twenty-something's who through our teenage yeas we're introduced to the qwerty keyboard on phones definitely have the upper hand, no pun intended. I recently downloaded Penultimate, and I can agree that learning to write on this thing quickly will be tough.

As for the split keyboard, I'm using it to type this, and it is nice. Its strange at first, but very easy to get proficient at. It's definitely a great feature.

 

[jsh1120]

I agree with you wholly. Us twenty-something's who through our teenage yeas (sic) we're (sic) introduced to the qwerty keyboard on phones definitely have the upper hand, no pun intended. ...

Yeah, but we Boomers have better insurance. And we make fewer typos. (See above.)

 

[cshearer]

Yeah, but we Boomers have better insurance. And we make fewer typos. (See above.)

Haha oh dear. Thank you autocorrect. I just got this thing on Monday, cut me some slack.

 

[luked14]

I'm a third year college student, and I'll be taking an iPad to campus for the first time this year. My first two years I used a MBP, and sometimes it was just too much of a load to carry along with all my books. This year I'll use both devices to complement each other. I plan on taking the iPad to class to take notes and around campus buildings throughout the day. Some of my textbooks are offered as Kindle versions so I'll take advantage of that with the Kindle app. My MacBook will still be used for research, typing up papers, Keynote, iMovie and GarageBand. I can do those with my iPad successfully but it's still easier and quicker to do them on the MBP.

 

[cshearer]

I'm a third year college student, and I'll be taking an iPad to campus for the first time this year. My first two years I used a MBP, and sometimes it was just too much of a load to carry along with all my books. This year I'll use both devices to complement each other. I plan on taking the iPad to class to take notes and around campus buildings throughout the day. Some of my textbooks are offered as Kindle versions so I'll take advantage of that with the Kindle app. My MacBook will still be used for research, typing up papers, Keynote, iMovie and GarageBand. I can do those with my iPad successfully but it's still easier and quicker to do them on the MBP.

That's essentially the approach I'm taking. Hopefully we're both successful in our endeavors!

 

[palpatine]

typing on a tiny piece of glass is fine, of course, but the bluetooth keyboard is faster. i'd be glad to go toe to toe with any of you to back it up. anyone pushing out 80 wpm + with the ipad screen? i didn't think so. step up or step off!



handwriting has been a dismal experience on the ipad. paper is just better i am afraid. scanning notes in takes a few seconds a page, so i might lose a minute of my day to that. i am ok with it. and, besides, i often use my ipad as a reader, so i need somewhere to take my notes.

typos are a painful fact of life with the virtual keyboard. get used to it

when i go to campus i slip my ipad, bluetooth keyboard, and incase origami into a man purse and i am all set. yeah. nothing says big man on campus student like a massive hiking bag full of books and binders, but i prefer to work smarter instead of harder. it frees me up to carry things for beautiful women.

 

[jsh1120]

...it frees me up to carry things for beautiful women.

There are some things I really miss about the academic life.

 

[cshearer]

typing on a tiny piece of glass is fine, of course, but the bluetooth keyboard is faster. i'd be glad to go toe to toe with any of you to back it up. anyone pushing out 80 wpm + with the ipad screen? i didn't think so. step up or step off!



handwriting has been a dismal experience on the ipad. paper is just better i am afraid. scanning notes in takes a few seconds a page, so i might lose a minute of my day to that. i am ok with it. and, besides, i often use my ipad as a reader, so i need somewhere to take my notes.

typos are a painful fact of life with the virtual keyboard. get used to it

when i go to campus i slip my ipad, bluetooth keyboard, and incase origami into a man purse and i am all set. yeah. nothing says big man on campus student like a massive hiking bag full of books and binders, but i prefer to work smarter instead of harder. it frees me up to carry things for beautiful women.

I've owned this less than a week. Looks as though I'll be carrying more for the women.

 

[dccorona]

Seems there was a breakdown of communication on this thread. I see by your notes you're talking about using the iPad for typed notes while I was referring to the difficulties of taking handwritten notes efficiently. I agree completely that the iPad can offer a very satisfactory typing experience.

But being the curmudgeon I've become, I much prefer a physical keyboard to the onscreen virtual keyboard. In my case, the Apple Wireless Keyboard or the Microsoft 6000 Bluetooth portable keyboard for the iPad. Having learned to type on a manual Remington Rand portable when I was 12 and moving on to an IBM Selectric a few years later, I'm wedded to a physical keyboard for life.

For folks like you with non-arthritic thumbs and teenage training on phone keyboards, the virtual keyboard on the iPad is much more accessible, I'm sure. The split keyboard that will be available in iOS 5 will improve that experience even more, I suspect.

My desire to become more proficient with handwriting note taking apps on the iPad stems from the fact that I often have to draw diagrams of various kinds (e.g. flow diagrams, org charts, gantt charts, etc) in meetings. Tasks that I suspect you don't confront in film studies. (You lucky kid. Stick with what you enjoy, btw.) For that purpose it would be extremely useful to combine handwritten and typed text in a single document. I can type much faster than I can write but right now I have to keep a note pad available for "free hand" entry.

All in all, I think my needs more closely approximate those of a college student in the hard sciences or engineering.

Haven't given up on the goal of becoming proficient with handwriting on the iPad. I've just found that the initial novelty of being able to "write on a screen" soon gives way to the realization that doing it efficiently is a tough skill to develop.

Haven't used one personally but I plan to pick one up eventually...this looks like it takes the best approach I've seen to handwriting on an iPad, because it allows natural writing angles

http://adonit.net/product/7

 

[palpatine]

I've owned this less than a week. Looks as though I'll be carrying more for the women.

Image

Good job with the speed test! I just did one online with my physical keyboard and this is what I got:

You type 333 characters per minute
You have 71 correct words and
you have 0 wrong words

You are close grasshopper. Just think how fast you could go with a physical keyboard

As for the girls, that is what all of this is about, right? I mean, what's the point of an education if it doesn't increase your appeal to women? Seriously.

 

[cshearer]

Good job with the speed test! I just did one online with my physical keyboard and this is what I got:

You type 333 characters per minute
You have 71 correct words and
you have 0 wrong words

You are close grasshopper. Just think how fast you could go with a physical keyboard

As for the girls, that is what all of this is about, right? I mean, what's the point of an education if it doesn't increase your appeal to women? Seriously.

Oh and education does just that. Being suave and being stupid are not connected, I dare say.

As for the test, I do need some work. I my hey day I doubled push 95 wpm on my MPB, but I'm probably a bit slower now. The key to typing really fast on iPad is to not let you're palms rest on anything, while still using the "home row" rule.

 

[takeshi74]

If you need to finance a relatively small purchase, then you can not afford it. It's a want not a need. You do not deserve an iPad until you save enough money to pay it in full.

I don't see how you determined whether the OP deserves the iPad or not.

It is, however, generally true that financing small purchases is a bad idea. Of course, all generalizations have their pitfalls.